


OutWorldly Haven

by Musashi311, RazyrWos27



Series: OutWorldly Haven [1]
Category: Original Work
Genre: Action & Romance, Action/Adventure, Alternate Universe - Modern Setting, Alternate Universe - Slavery, Car Chases, Corruption, Eventual Romance, F/M, Gen, Psychological Drama, Science Fiction & Fantasy, Screenplay/Script Format, Slice of Life, demi humans
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2017-04-04
Updated: 2020-09-15
Packaged: 2021-03-07 00:22:05
Rating: Mature
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 4
Words: 18,952
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/26487862
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Musashi311/pseuds/Musashi311, https://archiveofourown.org/users/RazyrWos27/pseuds/RazyrWos27
Summary: This story is about two friends, former Air Force pilots, who decide to go on a trip to the Caribbean...and end up lost in the Bermuda Triangle.They manage to escape in a quick, yet odd way, but their perception of the world around them forever changes after that: a hidden truth reveals before their eyes: demi-humans, legendary creatures, are no longer a fairy tale!How will they handle this situation?Find out...on Outwordly Haven!
Relationships: Original Female Character(s)/Original Male Character(s)
Series: OutWorldly Haven [1]
Series URL: https://archiveofourown.org/series/1925620
Kudos: 3





	1. Let's go on a trip!

**November 29th, 2019**

**Homestead, FL**

It's been a few days since Christian finally completed all preparations for his trip to the Caribbean: tickets reserved, bags packed and ready to go!  
There was only one thing left: to contact his former wingman and best friend, Nathan Martinez, in hopes he'd join Christian on this short vacation. Nathan had left USAF about six months before him and this would be a good opportunity to remember the times when both flew together on several missions. Christian tried to call his cellphone number, but to no avail.

> Christian: "Goddamn it, Nate...", Sighed, then tried to call his house number, but again, no avail, the number was non-existent! "Where the hell are you, bastard..."

* * *

**December 2nd**

Christian spent three days trying to contact Nathan, even sending a few e-mails. Finally, the efforts paid off when the phone rang.

> C: "Hello?"
> 
> Nathan: "Hey Christian! It's me, Nathan...been a while, brother!"
> 
> C: "About damn time, fool! You know how hard it was for me to find you? What happened to your numbers?"
> 
> N: "I had thought my mom or dad would've told you that I changed my number; I had to, because Marie kept on harassing me...", Sighed. "Anyway, what's up?"
> 
> C: "Wait, you two broke up? What the fuck, man...what happened?"
> 
> N: "Yup, we broke up. She felt that I became a coward or a 'terrorist lover' after my trip to Iran, after the war ended...when, in reality, what I felt was guilt and regret. Apparently I wasn't patriotic enough...but then again, when you fight a war and then you meet the people that you made suffer indirectly, it changes you...she, on the other hand, just sat in an air-conditioned office twiddling her thumbs all day while you and I risked our lives.", Sighed.
> 
> C: "I'm really sorry, man...looks like we're on the same boat, for different reasons. I broke up with Seraphine as well, she was cheating on me with my ex-new wingman! That fucking asshole, Eric Graham, callsign 'Duke'. But in reality, he was more of a dick...", Laughed. "Anyway, we can talk about this when we meet. Listen, I have a proposal: got myself some plane tickets for a few days worth of vacation in the Caribbean and I thought it would be nice to have you come along. Wattya say?"
> 
> N: "I say hell yeah! Let me know when you're leaving and I'll pick you up! I still have my '94 Honda Shadow VLX from when we were in high school, so I do have a way of getting to ya. Let's talk about everything once we meet up."
> 
> C: "I'm already at the airport with all packed up!", Laughed. "Where are you?"
> 
> N: "Already!?", He was excited. "I'm currently sitting at a hotel in Pembroke Pines, so I'm like 30 minutes away from you! I'll be right there, just gotta check out of my room, I'll be travelling light though, since I'm on a bike." Chuckled.
> 
> C: "Cool! See you soon, then...", Hung up the phone.

Nathan grabbed his backpack along with his helmet and motorcycle jacket and ran down to the lobby to check out of the hotel. He then hopped on his Honda and started it, the 600cc V-Twin roaring to life. Half hour later, as promised, he arrived at the designated location and dialed Christian again.

> N: "Well, I just got here. Be on the lookout for a red Honda Shadow near the lobby, I'm sure you remember that bike.", Laughed. "By the way, I'm wearing a lime green helmet!"
> 
> C: "Aye, aye...I can see you! Turn around, fool!", Laughed, then waved at him from a distance.
> 
> N: "Holy hell, man!", Placed his backpack on the bike and ran over. "DUDE! It's been so damn long! We got a lot of catching up to do!"
> 
> C: "Tell me about it!", Both shared a brohug and brofist. "Is that all you've got?", Pointed to the bike with the backpack over the seat.
> 
> N: "Yeah, like I said I'm travelling light.", Chuckled. "I would've brought the Charger, but my dad's been looking after it since the breakup...better to have it in his garage than leave it where Marie could get to it."
> 
> C: "Speaking of it...how's Lexxy?", Smiled.
> 
> N: "Lexxy's running well, but she needs a full repaint...and since she'll have to be taken apart to do so, I might as well drop in a 572 Hemi along with a six speed...she's got 250K miles on her too."
> 
> C: "Sheesh...feeling the age, huh? But then again, Cisco was at the 150k-mile mark when I parked him for the last time at my parents', days before we were sent to Iran.. It's been sitting there ever since, and I still haven't paid a visit to him after my return...fuck."
> 
> N: "Yep...she's getting a bit up there in age, BUT...she ain't no trailer queen!", Laughed. "Seriously though, I haven't seen Cisco in years...remember when we used to race our cars in that short road behind the base? I remember that one time Sanderson raced us...I was laughing my ass off when you pulled two car lengths on his 2001 Cobra!"
> 
> C: "His car could've beaten mine, but his skills were just terrible...granny shifting, not double clutching like he should...", Laughed hard. "Hell, he even overrevved the engine near the finish line, dropped from 4th to 2nd!"
> 
> N: "He never even had his car! Hell, his Cobra was a graduation gift, it was his first car, even though it wasn't brand-new. Before that he used to drive his Mom's BMW 5 Series."
> 
> C: "That kid was a goddamn poser who pretended to know what he was doing."
> 
> N: "You know what, though? We seem to get a lot of those people. Come to think of it, when I was considering a GT-R, Marie was twisting my arm to order a Gallardo before we shipped out to Iran...fighter pilots make decent money but no way in hell I'd sell my Charger and end up with a car payment exceeding two thousand dollars a damn month!"
> 
> C: "2 grand?! Fuck me sideways, I'd rather pay that money for a 2-barrel 273-c.i. LA small-block!"
> 
> N: "It's amazing how much these supercars cost and the fact people finance them. One of those Aventador's would set you back nearly 5 grand a month! Man, even though me and Marie spent six years together, I'm happy about the breakup when I look back, because if we had married, I would've been broke!", He sighed. "Anyway, should we head to our gate?"
> 
> C: "Yeah, we still got time, flight's leaving in about half hour or so."
> 
> N: "Roger that.", Walked over to the bike and grabbed the backpack. "Meh, I was going to pay for parking but I just texted my sister to pick the bike up and store it at her house, her husband has a motorcycle license so he could ride it back."
> 
> C: "Perfect. And...", Facepalmed. "Forgot about your papers, didn't even ask! Passport, ID, everything?"
> 
> N: "Yep, all up to date and on my person."
> 
> C: "Phew!", Wiped the sweat from his forehead.

About half hour later, their flight's passengers were called to embark and the stewardess accomodated everyone in their seats, serving drinks and snacks after the take off.

> C: "I'm glad we're taking some time to cool our heads off. Man...things weren't the same after you left...I kept on flying for a while, with Graham as my wingman. We came back to the US for the Red Flag, then stayed at Tyndall for a few more weeks until we were dispatched to Syria, for another campaign. That was when things went sour. You've heard about that F-22 incident in Ar Raqqah, right?"
> 
> N: "Yeah."
> 
> C: "Well, it was me. They didn't give names, but it was I who almost got my ass fried. Some technicians went to check the plane before the take-off, said something about 'software update'...not long after take-off, bird went weird out of nowhere and began to lose altitude, until it splashed. I was lucky to eject just a few moments before the crash. I still think the motherfucker sabotaged me somehow, but I couldn't prove anything, so I ended up taking the blame for the crash, discharged from the force...and on top of that, when I got back, I found out that Seraphine had slept with him during the Red Flag!", Shook his head. "Seriously, I lost my mind and entered a state of severe depression, I was about to make some serious shit, either commit suicide or kill someone! If it wasn't for my family...", Sighed and took a sip of his soda. "I even got out of the apartment we were living together in, moved in to a rented room for a short while. My sister was the actual one who suggested this trip, but it wouldn't be cool to do it all alone, so I thought: 'why not bring along my brother-in-arms and have fun?", Chuckled.
> 
> N: "It's an honor to have been picked for this vacation. And I'm sorry on the accident, that sucks hard. At least you got out of it unharmed. I remember that bastard Graham...he flew with us on that operation over Tehran. We were the ones who saved his ass from those Flanker's...hell, we even became aces that day!", Sighed. "And now for my story: after my discharge, I headed to Iran and spent a few months there. Met a lot of people...and realized that all this was wrong. The way I see it, there really was no war on terror but more like a war on oil and that petrodollar. Then I returned home, dare I say awakened, and Marie loses her shit...she thinks they converted me and she falls out of love with me; you get the deal. I sold the house and her Mercedes-Benz E550, since I bought it with my goddamn coin and was under my name. And of course there was a time where I felt like putting my Beretta in my mouth and ending it, but then I realized that it wasn't worth it...thank GOD."
> 
> C: "Yeah, pal...looks like we had our share with relationSHITs. I'm definitely giving myself a break from this, the trip sure has come in handy!"
> 
> N: "I feel you on that...It's been a while since I've been to the Caribbean. I think the last time was when my dad received a promotion, which was when I was around 10."

The boys were chatting until a stewardess approached them.

> Stewardess: "Hey gentlemen...how are you today?", Winked.
> 
> N: "Uuuh, doing fine, thank you. And yourself?”
> 
> Stewardess: "I'm okay...just wishing I had someone to hang out with when we land at the Bermuda..."

Christian looked at Nathan, like bewildered at the lady's words, specially because she was supposed to be at work.

> N: "Me and my friend here are on business, so I'm afraid we might not have much time to hang out, Miss."
> 
> Stewardess: "Ooooh what do you boys do?", Smiled.

Christian immediately replied the first job that came to his mind.

> C: "We sell coffins. Good ones, all sizes and shapes! Customers can custom-order them with jewelry and granite finishing too, for those who wanna finish life in a fancy way."
> 
> N: "Very lucrative business! We might even expand into selling urns as well!"
> 
> Stewardess: "Oh...well, if you need anything, just ask."

The stewardess walked away silently; she clearly regretted asking...the boys looked at each other and couldn't hold the laugh, then gave a brofist.

> N: "We might have to fend off more of these lovely ladies when we arrive at our destination!"
> 
> C: "I can see that..."

After a couple of hours, the pilot informed the passengers they were about to land. As he maneuvered the plane, Christian could have a glimpse of the big island of Bermuda through the window; a true paradise.

> Pilot: "This is your Captain speaking. Please fasten your seatbelts, make sure your seats are in their upright position and your tray tables are stowed away, we will begin our descent to L.F. Wade International Airport shortly."
> 
> N: "Can't wait to land...I love flying, don't get me wrong, but boy do I prefer to be flying in my own bird instead of on an airliner."
> 
> C: "I'm okay with it, actually."

When they finally landed, the stewardesses said goodbye to the passengers and the boys noticed the total change of mood and behavior of the one who approached them.

> C: "Did you see the attendant? She went from 100% to 0% interest in a matter of seconds after our little chat!", Laughed.
> 
> N: "Heh, yeah I did! She's probably not used to rejection...in my opinion it is what it is. Plus, after all I've been through, I'm not in much of a hurry to pick up women.", Put on his backpack. "Let's go over to the baggage claim to get your luggage and I guess we can worry about a rental car when we leave the terminal...can't wait to take in the scenery, 'cause this place is beautiful." Chuckled.
> 
> C: "Just two bags, that's all. And I'm with you on the part about not being in a hurry. Let's check a car at Derpz, they've got the best prices everywhere."
> 
> N: "They seem to have discounts on Fit's. After we pick up a car, do you wanna hit one of the restaurants and get something to eat?"
> 
> C: "That's a good one. We can leave the sightseeing for tomorrow."

* * *

Having rented a Honda Fit at the airport, they searched for a good restaurant. The best location was Bermuda's capital, Hamilton, less than 10 miles away. With Christian driving the car, they headed straight to there.

> N: "Hey...since we're here at Hamilton, have you decided what you want to eat? There's a good barbecue place in the area."
> 
> C: "I hadn't, but now that you mentioned it...where is it?"
> 
> N: "Take a right up here and keep going down this road. It's going to be on our left. It's called Captain Ahab's Surf 'n Turf."
> 
> C: "Right on."

Finally finding the place, Christian parked the car and they got out.

> C: "We gotta find ourselves a hotel later. There are some pretty close, according to my phone."
> 
> N: "This time around prices should be decent. Hell, we might even get a good deal beach front!"
> 
> Host: "Welcome to Captain Ahab's Surf 'n Turf. How many?"
> 
> N: "Just two."
> 
> Host: "Right this way!"

The host guided the boys to their table where they sat down and received their menus.

> Host: "Can I start you two off with anything to drink?"
> 
> N: "Regular coke, please."
> 
> Host: "Okay and what about you sir?", Looked at Christian.
> 
> C: "I'll have a Sprite, please."
> 
> Host: "Alrighty!"
> 
> N: "And I think I'm gonna have the BBQ ribs with fries...it looks so damn good!"
> 
> C: "I'm following you on this one!", Closed the menu.
> 
> Host: "An excellent choice, gentlemen! Now if you excuse me, I'll go and get your drinks!"
> 
> C: "Thanks!"

Christian waited for the host to walk away, then continued the chat.

> C: "So...finally putting the talk up to date...you broke up with Marie because of her complaints about you going 'terrorist lover', as she said it...but apart from that...did you find out something else?"
> 
> N: "What do you mean? Like what went on in Iran?"
> 
> C: "No. I want to know if you found out anything regarding Marie herself...truth be told, it wouldn't surprise me if she...also cheated on you, like Seraphine did to me...", Sighed. "As you remember, both got along pretty well with each other..."
> 
> Host: "Here are your drinks!", Put them on the table.
> 
> C: "Thank you."
> 
> N: "Thanks a lot.", Waited for the host to walk away. "Okay...to answer your question, Marie left me for some rich dude. Remember that guy who owned that Lamborghini Aventador? He would show up to my house every now and then. Well...apparently he was the general's son and of course his uncle owned Lamborghini of Miami. Basically...while we risked our asses overseas, he spent time cruising in his big bad exotic and of course hitting on Marie...a-and well, she ended up sleeping with him as well, so you're not alone.", Sighed. "I guess it explains why Marie was so OCD with this status bullshit."
> 
> C: "Man... _*headdesk*_ I can't believe it. Why the fuck they do this? Why do they have to steal our hearts just to shatter them to pieces?", Sighed deeply. "Now, I know we don't control our feelings toward another person, you can happen to love someone else while you're commited...or not. It's a matter of...matching, I'd say. But if you do happen to fall in love with someone, at least have the decency of telling your current partner before breaking up. It'll hurt, definitely, but I guess it's still better than destroying the trust the other had towards you. It's what I'd do, at least. But then again, I'm judging people by myself, and I can't expect everyone to follow the rules I set for myself."
> 
> N: "I feel you, man.", Took a sip of his Soda. "To be honest...I should’ve seen the red flags with Marie. I was so captivated by her beauty...that I failed to realize how pretentious and money grubbing she was. I’m just glad I never married her. Plus, she kinda lost her shit when I sold her E550. She actually threatened to set my Charger on fire, which is why it's at my dads house. Fucked up, ain't it?"
> 
> C: "You'd be suing her ass off, I hope! I know what I'm gonna say may not be right and will probably sound VERY exaggerated...but I'm losing faith in humanity. For fuck's sake, it's like a goddamn jungle, everyone trying to kill and devour one another, everyone cheating on the other, no more respect, no more honesty, no more loyalty! Hell, makes me want to stay single!", Laughed depressedly. "But in all seriousness, Seraphine didn't like Cisco either, but I never gave her a chance to say anything about the car, she knew I'd be totally against the idea of getting rid of him. Besides, being busy as a pilot, I pretty much didn't get to drive him as much as I'd like, after joining the F-22 ranks. I do plan on bringing him back to roadworthy status after we return; in fact, I plan to continue the trip we started, going on an epic cruise around the country. How about you join me with Lexxy?"
> 
> N: “You don't even have to ask, dude...because I'd love to! Lexxy needs an oil change as well as the transmission, brake and radiator fluids changed as well. After that, she'll be road worthy...tags are up to date, at least!", Chuckled. "Anyway, how about we head out west with the cars? California is the car capital of the world, after all."
> 
> C: "Maybe. But I was thinking of not having a specific destination, at least for now. I just wanna drive and drive and drive...", Raised his cup to cheer. "To liberty...and Mopar badassery!"
> 
> N: “Hear hear!”, Clanged his glass against Christian's. “Do you remember when we first joined the Air Force? Some of the guys used to refer to us as the Charger's!", Laughed.
> 
> C: "Ooooh, those were the golden days! Whatever free time we had, there we were, working on our cars...even others joined the party. Allison with that '69 Nova SS 396, Robert with the '93 F-250 supercharged and, of course, Luke being the mock of the group with his 4G63-swapped, '89 Plymouth Colt, but all of them were good friends."
> 
> N: "I remember those guys! Luke's DSM was fast as fuck though, I mean you saw what he did to that Gallardo! Sure, the car spent more time on jackstands, but still.", Laughed.
> 
> C: "I remember that occasion when his transmission fell on the ground at 120+ mph! And the clutch disk flying out in front of the car!", Laughed hard. "His car was pretty strong, though, 500+ hp, it was a project co-built with his cousin."
> 
> N: "He found the clutch on the other side of the road too!", Tried to hold his laughter.
> 
> Waiter: "Here's your food, guys.", Placed the plates in front of them.
> 
> N: "Thanks...", Smiled. "Sure looks good! Anyway, that was a hell of a build. I wouldn't be surprised if he tried to put in an AWD system from an Evo too. He always had a bit of a mad scientist vibe about him."
> 
> C: "Yeah, I always told him he should get a degree in mechanical engineering, the guy knows how to work on anything! But back on the the trip...", Took the first bite on his meal. "I'm pretty sure that some time on the road will be good for us, to let out all the stress."
> 
> N: "I agree.", Took a bite of one of his fries. "It'll be great fun and on top of that, those cars are meant to be driven...plus, who knows, maybe we could hit up the big Mopar meet in Denver, early May. Hundreds of Mopars from all over show up, both old and new. And they even get official sponsorship from Dodge. What do you think?"
> 
> C: "I say we're in!", Raised his glass to cheer again. "After all...Mopar or no car!"
> 
> N: "Damn straight!", Clanged his glass against Christian's and looked around a bit. "By the way...do you feel like people are watching us...more specifically women?"
> 
> C: "Now that you mentioned it...over there.", Gestured with his eyes to show a very sexy brunette at the balcony, looking at them. "Guess she's got eyes on you!"

Sure enough, upon noticing them looking back at her, she approached the duo.

> Girl #1: "Hey there, handsome. Would you buy me a drink?", Winked at Nathan.
> 
> N: "Sorry sweetheart, no can do. I've got more important things to spend my hard-earned cash on...why don't you ask one of the other nice patrons around here to buy you a drink or better yet!", Gasped. "Buy it yourself!"
> 
> Girl #1: "You fucking jerk!", Shook her head and walked away.
> 
> C: "Showing her true colors, at last!"
> 
> N: "I swear, man...so much for a good meal! But it is what it is, anyway...what do you want to do tomorrow? They do have boat rentals in the island, so maybe we could head out to sea and go fishing, I've always wanted to try and catch a Marlin."
> 
> C: "That would be GREAT!", Gave him a thumbs up.

The duo continued enjoying their meal and chatting, when another girl, this time a blonde, approached Chris.

> Girl #2: "Hi! I'm Hannah, from Sweden. Pardon language, but I saw you from distance and thought you really sexy!", Leaned over, he could even smell her breath of alcohol.
> 
> C: "Uuh...thanks, I guess.", Moved his face away from hers a bit.
> 
> Hannah: "Say now...about we get know each other better?", Licked her lips, even drooling over her clothes.
> 
> C: "Sorry Miss, but...", Tried thinking of something to send her away. "...I'm already commited!"
> 
> Hannah: "Vad? To who?", Tilted her head, curious.

Christian was silent for a few seconds; what else to say? It was then that Nathan came up with the funniest excuse ever.

> N: "To me. Got a problem with that, bitch?", Grabbed Chris' hand. "He's my baby boy, now get lost!", Gestured for her to leave.

The girl just stood there, slightly confused, until it finally struck her.

> Hannah: "VAAAAD?!?!"

Then, with her eyes wide open in shock, she began to babble all sorts of words in Swedish, backing away slowly, then walking out of the bar.

> C: "...Pffffft!!! You saved me from one hell of a problem, bro! Thanks!", Laughed his ass off.
> 
> N: "Anytime...whether in the sky or on the ground, I've got your back.", Laughed. "Oh man...that shit made my day, though!", Joined his friend in the laughter.
> 
> C: "Right when we're trying to stay single, these bitches show up...sheesh!", Shook his head.
> 
> N: "Isn't that always the case? It borders on annoying...not that I have anything against female attention, but some space would be nice after the shit we went through."
> 
> C: "Space is just what I'm looking for, at the moment.", Took another sip of his soda and continued enjoying his meal.

As the duo finished their meals and continued the chat, Nathan looked out the window and spotted something very unique...which had the girls that had originally approached them.

> N: "Holy shit Chris, look outside! It's a Bugatti Chiron! I've never seen one before! And, of course, the girls who approached us earlier have taken quite the liking to it as well.", Chuckled as he watched the middle aged owner exit the car and be quickly surrounded by the ladies.
> 
> C: "Looks like they've found a new 'prey'...", Laughed. "Check the license plates...it's from Dubai. Too bad it's got such a shitty golden color...", Observed the owner enter the restaurant, holding the girls by their waist.
> 
> N: "Snap!", Looked at the Chiron and laughed. "Damn man, such a nice car but with poor taste. That made me remember of our stopover at Dubai before heading out to Iran! God, all the chrome-wrapped cars made me cringe...they were probably quite a safety hazard too. Hell, if you went Winchester on ammo, you could probably chrome wrap your plane just to blind the bandits!"
> 
> C: "Money doesn't buy good taste, that's a fact!"
> 
> N: "Anyway, I ain't sayin' they're gold diggers, but they ain't messin' with no Raptor pilots.", Laughed.
> 
> C: "Oh, they're not gold diggers, they're just interested in his personality!"
> 
> N: "Oh yeah, he must have a deep and wonderful personality." Rolled his eyes.
> 
> C: "Anyway, let's get back on enjoying our meal at peace."
> 
> N: "Roger that...I can't wait to see my car again. I miss Sexy Lexxy!", Chuckled. "I swear, man...I have NO regrets about not selling that car!"
> 
> C: "Amen to that, brother!"

* * *

After finishing their meal, they went to look for a hotel to stay. Christian had marked one just just a couple hundred yards away, called Hamilton Resorts.

> C: "Despite the name, it's quite cheap!"
> 
> N: "It looks nice for the price.", Chuckled "Can't wait to pick my feet up...also, check your six!"

The Chiron from before just left the restaurant's parking lot and drove past them at high speed, the sound of the W16 making its presence known; and, apparently, the two girls were in the passenger seat...somebody was gonna have fun tonight!

> N: "Flying by at high speed in a heavily populated area...reminds me of those London supercar videos we used to watch."
> 
> C: "I'd call them stupid, but then again, when you have a nice car, it's hard to resist the temptation to put the medal to the metal...", Laughed. "Cisco knows!!"
> 
> N: "Oh trust me, Lexxy knows too. She knows all too well!", Laughed. "Seriously though, I hope to someday drop a brand-new Hemi in her and really turn her into a badass street rod....plus it would be nice to troll some supercar owners too!"
> 
> C: "Right on! But for the time being, let's get the rooms. Tomorrow will be busy, many places to visit...and also fishing, later on!"

Upon entering the hall, they were greeted by an employee of the hotel at the front desk.

> Employee: "Greetings, gentlemen! May I help you?"
> 
> N: "Yes, we need two rooms please. Are there any vacancies?"
> 
> Employee: "Yes there are! How long will you be here for?"
> 
> C: "Hmm...about 4 days? That should give us enough time to view all this island has to offer, I hope?"
> 
> N: "Also do you have room service?"
> 
> Employee: "We sure do! Complementary room service, we also have some brochures for events and activities to do around the island."
> 
> N: "Awesome! Thanks.", Smiled.
> 
> C: "Splendid! Do you also know of a reliable place where we can rent a boat for some fishing too?"
> 
> Employee: "The marina usually has some boats for rent. They're typically long range boats."
> 
> N: "Perfect! Any idea on the prices?"
> 
> Employee: "You'll have to check with the guys at the marina."
> 
> C: "No problem. As for the rooms, do you have ones with view for the beach?"
> 
> Employee: "We sure do! Room 2B and 3B."
> 
> N: "Perfect!"
> 
> C: "We'll take them. So, how much is it?"
> 
> Employee: "That will be $1600 for four days."
> 
> N: "Doesn't seem too bad, we can go halfies on this one. How about it, Chris?"
> 
> C: "Naaah, don't worry about it. I invited you, didn't I? It's on me!", Pulled his credit card and paid.
> 
> N: "One day I'm gonna have to repay you, my brother!", Laughed.
> 
> C: "Forget about it, man! This is a gift, for both of us. For the friendship...no, brotherhood of so many years, pretty much since we were born!", Laughed.

* * *

After the bureaucracy was taken care of, they headed upstairs. They found out that both rooms were linked to each other through a door, which remained locked, but Chris asked the staff to unlock it.

> C: "That door makes me remember of our time at the Academy, when we slept right next to the girls' room...it also had a locked door, remember? Robert would always try to take a peek through the lock!", Laughed.
> 
> N: "Robert, what a perv...but he was funny.", Chuckled. "Remember Lieutenant Amari, the exchange pilot I mentioned earlier? He had a thing for her, I think."
> 
> C: "Totally! She was pretty cute, actually! I'm just not sure if he was serious or it was just a crush, but still...", Looked out at the balcony. "That also made me remember...it was more or less during that time that I met Seraphine...you know? They say time is the best medicine for our heart wounds. They may leave a scar, but they heal. I know it was the case when Grandpa died, a few months before graduating...that also made me grow more attached to her...I was emotionally broken at the time, helped me heal that wound. But nowadays...I feel as if this new wound she caused to me won't heal...Lucy already said this will pass when I meet another girl, but I really don't know...I feel like I'm still bleeding...", Stared at the sea.
> 
> N: "I feel you on that one...I hope to meet a girl that loves me for who I _truly_ am. Look Chris, no matter what...I've got your back. You're my brother...Seraphine and Marie were both evil bitches, but we can't feel like that about all women. Maybe this vacation will help us feel better and then there's also the road trip coming up after this.", Laughed.
> 
> C: "I know. And I thank you for that. You, too, can always count on me for anything.", Brofist. "Tomorrow, we'll visit other places, go to the beach, have fun. The day after tomorrow, we'll rent the boat for the fishing. Whattya say?"
> 
> N: "I look forward to it, bro! Though I've been to the Caribbean before, this is my first time in Bermuda. Let's enjoy it to the max...we only live once and we can't let stuff like this keep us back!", Pat Chris in the back.
> 
> C: "Hell yeah!"

After saying goodbyes, both went to sleep in their rooms. Today was a bit tough, but tomorrow promised new adventures...

**TO BE CONTINUED.**


	2. Let's go fishing...?

**December 3rd, 2019**

> _C: "No. No! Sera, what are you doing!?", Saw his ex making out with Eric!_
> 
> _Seraphine: "You don't like it? Good, because I love this. Graham is so much more of a man than you are!", Laughed, then continued making out with him. "Yes, I cheated on you, you never were home, you only cared about your career and your stupid friend Nathan!"_
> 
> _C: "What the fuck are you talking about?! Since when didn't I give you enough attention because of that! And you know damn well my job required me in other places, flying a Raptor isn't for everyone!"_
> 
> _S: "Really? Have you forgotten Eric here also flies a Raptor?", Smirked. "And he still finds time to make me so wet and crazy!"_
> 
> _Graham: "Sorry mate, you're out of the picture!", Laughed._
> 
> _S: "You lost me, Christian. Deal with it!"_

_Angry and sad, Christian ran to his Charger and drove off like a madman, overtaking vehicles in the wrong way and doing all sorts of crazy maneuvers. He was running like a Ghost Rider, the speedometer needle touching the end of the scale at the 150-mph mark!  
Suddenly, both lanes were blocked by trucks and he found himself having to break hard, but it wasn't enough to stop in time!_

> _C: "NOOOOO!!"_

* * *

Christian jumped out of bed, scared and breathing heavily; it was then that he realized it was just a nightmare, even if a really bad one. He was at his hotel room in the Bermuda, and it was only 4:30 AM.

> C: "Shit...am I being haunted or what?", Sighed and headed to the bathroom. "They always say you gotta get your mind away from what troubles you, but boy...is it easier said than done!", Washed his face.

Nathan opened the door that connects their rooms, worried.

> N: "Chris, you okay man?", Asked with a groggy tone. "You sound like you were having a nightmare, I was able to hear you clear as day!"
> 
> C: "Sorry, bro. Yeah...a really shitty nightmare indeed! Seraphine was making out with Graham right in my face and both were humiliating me. Then I got aboard Cisco and drove away from them, but ended up crashing on some trucks because my brakes failed me. What a way to wake up!"
> 
> N: "Jesus Christ...what a bitch! If it's any consolation prize, I did punch Graham square in the face during my last day before I was discharged.", Laughed. "That guy was a dick...and I wish we could put him behind bars for what he did to you...the plane crash part, that is."
> 
> C: "As much as I'd love this...or even 'better', throw him under seven palms of dirt, if you catch my drift...", Laughed. "...I can't confirm he was guilty of my crash. I do believe he did something, perhaps even with some help, but I couldn't and can't prove anything, so I won't go out and blame him."
> 
> N: "You have a point...", Sighed. "Just don't go getting yourself killed for real...Seraphine and Graham were bastards and they'll get what they deserve, eventually. Anyway, let's try and get some sleep, okay? We've got a long day tomorrow. There's a lot to see on this beautiful island, after all.", Laughed.
> 
> C: "I doubt I'll sleep any more; used to wake up around this time anyway, old habits from the fighter pilot routine..."
> 
> N: "Trust me, I know...the night ops bring back some memories too. Come to think of it, I think we flew more hours than even the F-35 guys."
> 
> C: "We did. They were so often undergoing maintenance that barely flew during the campaign. Anyway, I'm gonna go downstairs, see if I can fetch myself a soda."
> 
> N: "I'll go with you, if that's okay. I'll get a sandwich or something....also to take your mind off of this, what do you think of that Dodge Demon? I know it was unveiled nearly three years ago, but I never really had the time to give it a look since I had other things to worry about...I will say that the markups were insane, though. The dealer in Miami wanted $150,000 for it."
> 
> C: "It's cool, but I think it's kinda pointless, something just for owners and manufacturer to brass about, like 'hey, I have a factory production drag car!', but seriously, what's the point? Yeah, it's an epic car indeed, but...if I put my mind and wallet into it, even Cisco can storm the 1/4 mile in the 9-second range."
> 
> N: "And Cisco doesn't need a whole lot to hit 9's. We can even get our cars to handle quite well without breaking the bank, by using those Firm Feel suspension kits which are cheap and very effective. Plus, you could always order a Hellcat Widebody and add some power to it and there you go: a Diet-Demon that handles. Or just say screw it and buy a Viper!", Laughed.
> 
> C: "Naah, I'd rather stick to Cisco!", Laughed.

Chris went downstairs with Nathan and headed to the hall. Upon finding an employee, they asked for a soda and a sandwich. After finishing the meal, he checked the clock: it was 5:30 AM already.

> C: "Let's head to the marina, see if we can rent that fishing boat for tomorrow. The earlier we get there, the easier will be to find a good one."
> 
> N: "Works for me, you're the boat guy after all! Hopefully we can find something that's a bit more comfortable for offshore use, because that's where you can catch the best fish."

* * *

Half hour later, they were at the marina. Chris parked the car and they began to look for a boat. He noticed a very nice Bayliner 4087, fully equipped for offshore fishing, with a "FOR RENT" sticker and a phone number. Christian called it and talked to the owner. A while after, the owner arrived.

> ??: "Good morning! I'm Mason, pleasure to meet you. So, you're interested at renting 'Miss Reel Therapy', eh! She's a fine lady, that she is!"
> 
> C: "Nice to meet you. I'm Christian and this is my friend Nathan.", Shook hands with him. "So, can you tell us more about her?"
> 
> Mason: "Sure thing! She's a 1999, packing two Cummins 6BT, 270 hp each, 220-gallon fuel capacity. She's got everything needed to operate at open, rough seas. Radar, sonar, GPS, even a desalination kit for 200 gallons of fresh water a day!"
> 
> N: "She's an impressive vessel, Mason! How much are you charging per day to rent her?"
> 
> M: "2 grand. Insurance included."
> 
> N: "That sounds reasonable...especially for a boat this size. What do you think, Chris?"
> 
> C: "Perfect. Dad used to take me for boat trips every now and then during our vacations, and I got my license at 21!"
> 
> M: "Splendid! Now, gentlemen, let us begin a little tour, shall we?"
> 
> N: "Lead the way!", Climbed aboard.

Mason led them through an in-depth tour in the boat, displaying all the systems and how to operate them, also showing the engines and accomodations. With large compartments, capable of storing a few Blue Marlins, and enough provisions, they could stay at open sea for 3 or 4 days.

> M: "So, gentlemen...there you have it, Miss Reel Therapy! Do we have a deal?"
> 
> C: "You bet!", Shook hands with him. "I'll be placing a deposit today, if it's alright with you. We plan on going out early tomorrow!"
> 
> M: "Marvelous! She'll be ready in time. Now, would you mind following me to my office to sign the papers?"
> 
> C: "Sure!"

Having read the lease agreement and signing it, they were ready to depart in the next day. But before that, the boys took the rest of the day to visit some places, go to the beach and also, most importantly, buy provisions for the fishing days to come. When they had finished shopping, Christian put all the stuff in the boat, since Mason had already given him the keys.  
It was 6:00 PM and the day had already been paid off. With little else to do, they went back to the hotel.

> C: "Man, I'm too excited for tomorrow!"
> 
> N: "So am I! Plus with the Fishfinder that Mason had installed in the boat, we won't have much trouble finding the fish...unless they either aren't biting at all or we cross into the Bermuda Triangle and encounter some kind of mutant crab monster!", Laughed.
> 
> C: "Oh, don't tell me you believe in all that bullcrap, Nate! It's fucking folklore, for chrissake! There's no such thing as supernatural shit going on around there!"
> 
> N: "Come on, Chris! You've known me since we were kids, you know damn well shit has gone down at the Bermuda Triangle before...does Flight 19 ring a bell? Or what about the USS Cyclops?"
> 
> C: "That area has a highly unstable zone of convergence between the currents flowing from North and South poles, it's literally a battlefield of atmospherical pressures. And this tends to push debris away from the location, hence why no one could ever find anything that disappeared here. Besides, the depths reach over 15,000 feet in some places!"
> 
> N: "Ohhh well, if it isn't Christian Nye the Science Guy!", Rolled his eyes. "Then why the hell were the compasses going haywire on ALL of the Avengers in the formation? I doubt those planes were faulty! Then, THEN...there was the Ellen Austin, where the entire crew disappeared, followed by the prize crew, and the ship was left drifting in the sea! This just doesn't happen out of no where, Christian...especially in the mothafuckin' ocean!"
> 
> C: "The area most likely has a stronger magnetic field as well, probably because of iron deposits in the depths. That would explain the faulty instruments! And wasn't the Ellen Austin kind of a hoax? After all, there are NO casualty listings for that vessel, or any vessel at that time, that would suggest a large number of missing men were placed onboard a derelict ship that later disappeared! And we're talking about a boat from the 19th century! It was fairly easy to fool people back in the day, you know..."
> 
> N: "And what about the Star Tiger and Star Ariel, from British South American Airways? Pilots are always in constant communication, bro; they just don't go disappear out of nowhere! And there was even evidence that the damn radios never even failed!", Sighed. "You know what? You win...it's useless to discuss with you."
> 
> C: "It's not about winning an argument, but not letting the idea of fictious tales and fantasies acquire traits of reality. There's no such thing as some kind of crazy whirlpool or portals in the middle of the sky, pulling ships and planes to another dimension or wherever!"
> 
> N: "I don't know, man...I've always felt that there was something out there, but I guess you're right.", Shrugged. "But...if anything does happen to exist and we get thrown into, I dunno, another dimension...AND live...I'll be the one saying 'I told you so'!"
> 
> C: "I doubt anything will happen, it's just like the Loch Ness Monster legend. So many years, actually CENTURIES with tales and shit, yet no one has ever come up with an actual scientific proof that it's real."
> 
> N: "Twenty bucks says something does happen. The world is a weird place, Christian...and I'm willing to make a little bet on it to prove it.", Waved a 20-dollar bill and laughed.
> 
> C: "Sounds more like you WANT something to happen! Fuck it, I'm paying!", Pulled another 20-dollar bill and put on the table. "We'll find out tomorrow!"

After having a little more chat time, the boys went to sleep; tomorrow was to arrive soon.

* * *

**December 4th**

5:00 AM in the morning and Christian was already knocking on Nathan's door.

> C: "Nate! Wake up, bro! Fishing day!"
> 
> N: "Alright alright, give me a minute!", Slowly got up from his bed and went to get dressed.
> 
> C: "Man, I'm hoping to catch a Marlin today! I had the chance of seeing Grandpa get one when I was a kid, had a blast during their fight!"
> 
> N: "Yeah, you and me both.", Walked out of the room and gave Christian a brofist. "I would actually like to catch a stingray again, last time I caught one was...probably when I was 15. It was a bitch to put the little guy back in the water because he was flailing that tail around, but it worked out."
> 
> C: "Who knows, maybe we could even fetch a Mako too!", Brofist his friend's move. "Let's go down for some quick breakfast and head out, no time to waste!"
> 
> N: "Onward, my friend!", Laughed and followed Christian. "Hey man, I gotta ask...do you like full size Mopar's? C-bodies to be specific. I know it's random, but I'm just curious. I've thought about buying a 1969 Imperial LeBaron to complement Lexxy and of course to have something a bit more refined than her for daily driving and cruising."
> 
> C: "I do. I mean, I guess it's safe to say that I like nearly all American cars from the 60's and 70's, but obviously Mopars have a special place in my heart; in fact, my dad bought Cisco because his father owned a '58 Belvedere 4-door, a few years before, with the 'Golden Commando' option included, a 350-c.i. big-block V8 with two four-barrel carbs! That thing was fast! I remember my dad telling of a time when Grandpa took him for a night ride...things were comfortable, smooth, like those big sedans were at the time. When dad looked at the speedometer, the needle was touching the 120-mph mark!", Laughed. "That kinda got dad into the Mopar band."
> 
> N: "I can't blame him! '58 Plymouth's were badass, I mean come on look at Christine!", Laughed. "Jokes aside, my dad originally planned on getting a 1970 Chevelle SS 454 until he saw a leftover '68 Charger R/T sitting on the dealer lot. She only had three miles on the odometer and he was able to afford it because they had slashed like a grand off the price because they needed to make room for the 1971 models. He told me that he always liked Mopar's for their charisma and their distinctive styling."
> 
> C: "Don't I know that? They both went to buy the cars together, and both were leftovers!", Laughed. "According to what the dealer's owner told our dads, the car was ordered by a very eccentric and wealthy customer who always purchased his cars with them. He had specced everything, but was totally dissatisfied when he saw the car live for the first time...I guess the combination of KK1 Light Turquoise Metallic with white vinyl roof, interior and Bumble Bee stripes didn't please the man as much as he thought it would. And the car was fully loaded, including the 426 Hemi and 4-speed manual! He ended up placing the deposit for another '68 Charger R/T that was at the dealer, this time a more mundane red exterior with black interior, vinyl and stripes, along with a 440 Magnum and the Torqueflite 727 3-Speed automatic...PLUS a Dart GTS Convertible for his wife! Because the owner ended up spending more than what Cisco was worth, the dealer's owner was okay, but Cisco would turn out to be quite a bitch to sell.", Laughed. "It stayed at the lot until dad bought it with a good discount because not many people liked the color, plus the Hemi never was a well-mannered engine on the streets and required more frequent maintenance, and of course the manual transmission is not driver-friendly like the automatic! And in the case of Lexxy, not only the Hemi + manual tranny was the same problem but the triple black combo didn't appeal much for hot Florida weather", Chuckled. "Good for us, 'cause dad loved the color, and so did I when I first saw it. We're lucky to have Mopar dads.", Laughed his ass off as they went downstairs for breakfast.
> 
> N: "We sure are! Man I can't wait to burn some rubber in my Charger!"
> 
> C: "We'll do, buddy...soon!"

With breakfast over, the boys headed straight to the marina to get the boat.

* * *

A few hours later, already aboard _Miss Reel Therapy_ , Christian checked the GPS; they were about 30 miles off the coast, pretty much into deep ocean already.

> C: "So, do you think we can find marlins around here already or should we go further into open sea? Everything looks fine as far as the eye can see as well, no storms or clouds whatsoever, weather radar is also clear."
> 
> N: "We should be good! Let's drop anchor and get the lines out. Hell, at this rate you might be able to catch one of those Giant Blue Marlin's!"
> 
> C: "Shieeeeet, a giant one? That would be almost as much luck as a Mopar barn find!", Laughed. "Okay, let's give it a try...", Got his hook and line ready, then threw them out. "Fingers crossed!"
> 
> N: "Hey, you never know, Chris! Might get lucky...I just hope this boat is big enough because those suckers are bigger than a damn Kia."
> 
> C: "Hahah, good one! But there are some big Kia's nowadays, so we gotta be careful!"

* * *

A couple of hours have passed since Christian threw the line, and nothing yet.

> C: "Jeez...where are they? I don't remember Grandpa or dad having to wait that long when we went fishing, usually 40 minutes, an hour at most! Could it be sheer luck?"
> 
> N: "I think we should head out a bit further. This boat got a good range, right? So take us a few more miles out. We should have a better chance of catching something."
> 
> C: "We've got plenty of fuel, let's see."

Chris raised the anchor and took the boat even farther from shore...until something strange started happening.

> C: "What the hell?", Checked the GPS; it began to glitch, the screen going black, then back on, recalculating their position. "What's up with that now...", Sighed.
> 
> N: "Oh shit....oh god. We're entering the Triangle! If we live through this, I'll be $40 richer!", Chuckled.
> 
> C: "Dude, stop with the jokes. I don't know what happened with the GPS, but if we lose it, we'll only have the compass to guide us; as you may have noticed, we're pretty far from the coast and we can't see any piece of land."

Christian continued to move towards what he _thought_ was the right direction, until the GPS blacked out again, this time not returning. Worse: the radar and sonar also stopped working.

> C: "Great, now the GPS, radar AND sonar, all dead! Fuck...I'm starting to think this boat is a disguised trash...", Sighed.
> 
> N: "From what that Mason said, the registration was up to date and he just installed the latest navigation system. I guess either: one, he was full of shit...or two, the equipment he installed is crap.", Sighed. "Also, we better get back ASAP because those clouds on our 12 look menacing. Hell, if we were still in the Air Force they wouldn't even let us fly in weather like that!"
> 
> C: "Yeah, looks like our trip's gone to shit. Let me check the compass to see where to go."

Christian went and checked the device...then called Nathan while pointing at the needle...which was moving in circles, spinning at a not so slow pace.

> C: "Can you believe this? Can you?!"
> 
> N: "Of course I can.", Looked at Christian with a serious expression. "I told you about the lore surrounding the Bermuda Triangle and you didn’t believe me."
> 
> C: "Fuck...what are we gonna do?", Lowered his head, saddened. "Wait...the sun! We can use it as reference! But it's over our heads at the moment, so we gotta wait for it to go down...but then there's also the threatening storm ahead...", Scratched his head.
> 
> N: "There's no getting out of this, Chris...all we can do is pray and accept our fate.", Sat down and looked up at the sky. "But hey, at least we accomplished our childhood dreams, right?", Chuckled.
> 
> C: "Yeah...I guess.", Went to pick a soda in the fridge, then threw another one to Nathan. "But at the same time...I still feel...empty, as if I hadn't done a thing in my life. Strange, isn't it?"
> 
> N: "Well, you did become a fighter pilot...flying one of the greatest planes in the world! But I see what you mean and, to be honest, it wasn't all what it was cracked up to be. I felt like I was bound rather than free..."
> 
> C: "Tell me about it. I think only the guys flying the F-35 had it worse...after all, we know it's meant to be a mass-produced stealth jet, but they still haven't quite gotten to full-production status...and they're still doing little tweaks here and there, so they're considerably limited in their operations. Now, in our case, the limited numbers played a major role in the issue, since less than 190 F-22's were made, but I always felt angry with the fact we couldn't take the Raptor to its absolute limits...hell, the F-16 guys had a lot more freedom than us!"
> 
> N: "We were also babysitting the F-35's, gotta keep that in mind. But the F-16's still had it harder than we did, that's for sure; we even lost a few of them. Actually...Chris, I've been meaning to ask...do you remember that Tomcat? The one that tried to shoot down Graham?"
> 
> C: "Which one? There were quite a few trying to shoot him down!", Laughed. "Jokes aside, if you're talking about a certain one with the classical IRIAF camo paint scheme and a tiger livery in the tail...gorgeous, I must say, even though it was an F-14A, the oldest version...that pilot was skilled...Graham had a very hard time escaping him...it was like the pilot could read his mind!"
> 
> N: "Yeah, we even fired a Sidewinder his way at the same time. According to the information released, they credited you with that kill. I still wonder whether or not that pilot managed to bail out...still, he was one hell of a pilot to hold his own against a Raptor! F-14A's were never known for having the best engines and, on top of that, they were old too. The youngest IRIAF Tomcat was delivered in 1979!"
> 
> C: "Even to this day, I still don't know who got that kill. Guess sometimes the press department just randomly selects the ones who score kills...", Laughed.

As they chatted, time went on and the sun began to go down; fortunately, the clouds were also gone, meaning no storm, no threats. Even better, the sea was surprisingly calm.

> C: "Looks like we'll be leaving...finally!", Went to the driver's position to start the boat and... "What? COME OOOON, GODDAMN IT!", The boat wouldn't start. He turned the key and there was nothing, not even a click; it was like the battery had gone dead AND buried. "Are we really gonna be stranded here in the middle of the frikkin' ocean?!"
> 
> N: "The radio looks like it's still working. I'm going to send a distress call.", Turned on the radio and tuned it. "Is there anyone out there?", There was nothing but static. "I say again: can anyone read me?", The static continued. "Shit...looks like we're screwed. There's no response for the radio and we only have enough food for about three days."
> 
> C: "If we were closer to the shore, maybe this wouldn't have happened...", Headdesk.

Without anything to do, the boys just stayed there, until they ended up falling asleep, also because of the heat, since the sun was pretty strong.

* * *

As the sun got closer to the horizon in the afternoon, they woke up...and what they just found was something out of this world.

> C: "What time is it already?", Yawned, then checked his watch: 3:30 PM. Then he looked around. "WHAT!!! NATE WAKE UP!!! NAAAAATE!!", Shook his friend, desperate.
> 
> N: "HEY MAN, what the hell?", Got up, a bit dizzy.
> 
> C: "LOOK!! LOOK!!", Pointed at a certain direction.
> 
> N: "Holy...motherfucking...shit.", Jaw dropped in shock.
> 
> C: "Tell me I'm hallucinating...TELL ME!! TELL ME THE HORIZON LINE HAS NOT DISAPPEARED AND THAT THIS IS ALL PRODUCT OF MY MIND!"
> 
> N: "C-Chris, relax.", Took a deep breath. "You're not hallucinating and you're not high. This is all 200% real...we have entered the Bermuda Triangle, so please...try not to panic and stay calm."
> 
> C: "HOW! How am I supposed to remain calm when apparently the whole world around us is going apeshit and we can do nothing about it! And there's literally ZERO chances of making outta here as well!"
> 
> N: "GET A HOLD OF YOURSELF, DAMMIT!", Shook Christian. "We've faced much tougher situations and we still made it through! We'll find a way out of this Chris, you have to trust me."
> 
> C: "Alright, alright, I gotta calm the fuck down...", Took a deep breath. "Alright...analyzing the situation...horizon line gone, boat dead...what do we do? The water also looks...dangerous. EXTREMELY dangerous! It's not as clear as before, it's blurred, as if pure mist had turned into liquid!"
> 
> N: "It's simple: we wait and see what happens. In a situation like this, we can't take any unnecessary risks."
> 
> C: "Okay...it's the only thing we can do, right? It's the only thing to do anyway...", Shaking a little.

Clearly Chris was losing his mind; he always mocked Nathan for believing in what he always thought were fairy tales and fantastic stories, but suddenly those tales turned out to be true. Now, he could only wonder what else could turn into reality...

**TO BE CONTINUED.**


	3. Trapped?!?! Not today!!!!

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Previously on OWH, our boys headed into deep sea for some fishing, but things went crazy when the boat suddenly died, the compass no longer pointed to North and to top it out, the horizon line itself disappeared. Now they're stranded in the middle of the ocean! What are they going to do? Find out now!

**December 4th, 2019**

> C: "Okay, how long have we been here?", Checked his watch; it stopped at 2:27 PM and clearly was way past that time. "We're totally lost..."
> 
> N: "I'd say a few hours...maybe a day, who knows? My phone's deader than Elvis, so I can't tell what time it is either."
> 
> C: "I was gonna say that we might've had better chances if we had some oars aboard, but of course that would be stupid.", Chuckled. "Anyway...now that you got your 20 bucks...", Gave Nathan a $20 bill. "...tell me all you know about this place."
> 
> N: "Thank ya kindly!", Took the $20 and placed it in his wallet. "Okay now, to give you a brief on the Bermuda Triangle...first of all, it's a strange place. A great example is once again Flight 19 which disappeared on December 5th 1945. Flight 19 consisted of five TBF Avengers and the planes along with the 14 airmen were lost in the Triangle, and later the same day a PBM Mariner bureau 59225 lost with 13 airmen while searching for Flight 19 the FOLLOWING day. There are more incidents as well...a lot more."
> 
> C: "Not just about the incidents, but about the place itself...what is it that happens here? Those explanations I said before are not making much sense right now that I'm seeing the shits happening with my very eyes."
> 
> N: "Look, a flying unicorn!", Laughed. "Jokes aside, all I can say is I don't know. I guess you can say that we're in limbo or purgatory. I mean, all we can really do is wait and see what happens. Either we get lucky and end up where we were before or we go into some other dimension like what happened to that USS Indianapolis ship back in 2011. To this day no one knows where it ended up."
> 
> C: "And how do you know that ship went to another dimension? No one has any proof! I do know it disappeared in here somewhere, but no one ever found its wreckage. She was the pride of the US Navy, the most advanced and expensive warship ever built...hell, they ditched so many upgrade programs for the existing platforms that the Navy went on a huge budget deficit because of it."
> 
> N: "They could've attempted to send a distress call, but the ship just up and vanished. And if they went through the same debacle we're going through as we speak, then there's no way for them to send a distress signal out. Or...it could've suffered a massive failure and been lost at sea. That ship was almost entirely automated save for the small crew."
> 
> C: "Quite the sad moment for the military when that ship was lost along with the unfortunate souls manning it.", Went inside the boat to get some snacks, throwing a bag to Nathan as well. "I hope our fate doesn't turn out the same."
> 
> N: "So do I, man...so do I.", Opened the bag and began eating. "But like I said, all we can do is really wait and see what happens, because...who knows what lies ahead?"
> 
> C: "I think praying would be a good thing to do now. I dunno if someone out there's listening, but..."

Christian closed his eyes and went silent, Nathan observing his friend.

> C: _"I don't know if there's a God, but...if you're listening to me right now...please, let us out of this place alive. I don't know why we ended up here, but please spare my friend and I...I know what I did in Iran was wrong, and I honestly regret my decisions in regards to that, but...you gotta know that I was also fighting for my life! I didn't want to shoot those enemies down, but I had no choice! But...if that still counts as an offense of some kind...I apologize."_ , He thought to himself.
> 
> ??: "That's a nice confession right there!"

Out of the blue, Christian heard this unknown voice. When he opened his eyes, his jaw dropped upon seeing a man about their age, in the boat's upper cockpit. But he looked different, his clothes were strange, ancient but brand-new...and he had golden hair and eyes bluer than a clear sky at midday.

> N: "Wh-wh-where the hell did you come from!?", Dropped the bag of chips and stood up in amazement. "Christian, look at this!"
> 
> C: "Were you...listening my thoughts?"
> 
> ??: "Yes, Chris. Don't worry, I know it was honest. You and your friend Nathan aren't evil."
> 
> C: "Who...who are you?"
> 
> ??: "You can call me Calix."
> 
> C: "How...what...-"
> 
> Ca: "How did I show up here? Magic!", Chuckled and snapped his fingers.
> 
> N: "What-"
> 
> Ca: "-am I? The guardian of this place."
> 
> C: "Guardian...of what, exactly?"
> 
> Ca: "What lies underneath these waters, of course!", Smiled.
> 
> N: "I'm going to take a wild stab in the dark and guess that you're referring to Atlantis? If so, then I'm so incredibly shocked right now and I-I honestly need some time to process this."
> 
> Ca: "Take your time." Sat at the boat's roof. "I've heard your conversations ever since you got here. Yes, the stories are true, but not always accurate."
> 
> C: "Are we...gonna die?"
> 
> Ca: "No. What happened is that you guys crossed 'The Gap'...it's the period of time when gates are opened to other dimensions."
> 
> N: "Good God...", Breathed a sigh of relief. "Now I gotta ask...do you have an idea of where we'll end up and what lies ahead?"
> 
> Ca: "Why don't you check it out for yourselves?"
> 
> Calix pointed to a direction, but apparently there wasn't anything there. Strangely, the calm sea slowly turned into a current, as if they were on a river, gaining speed and being pulled towards the direction he had pointed at...and ahead lied...
> 
> C: "OH SHIT, waterfall!!!"
> 
> N: "HOLD ONTO SOMETHING!", Grabbed the boat's railing and held on for dear life.
> 
> C: "You lied to us, bastard! We're gonna die indeed!"
> 
> Ca: "I didn't lie to you, that's your way out of here. And you won't die...but I tell you this much...", He got up and walked towards the boys, pulling a strange-looking sword that was somehow hidden behind his back, then touched the boys' heads with the blade, the weapon glowing white upon doing so. "When you get back, you'll probably see what surrounds you a little...differently."
> 
> N: "What did you mean by that?!", The waterfall was approaching fast. "HOOOOOOLY SHIT!!!!!"
> 
> Ca: "You'll see...when you see it!", He suddenly disappeared like thin air, smoke, POOF; just like that. But there was no time to think about anything other than the waterfall getting closer by the second.
> 
> C: "Guess this is it...it was an honor to meet ya, brother.", Manly tears were shed as the boat was just some 100 feet from falling into the unknown.
> 
> N: "Likewise man! But hey...at least we died achieving our dreams, right?", Tried to fight back the tears.
> 
> C: "Bros even in the afterlife?", Reached out his friend for one last brofist.
> 
> N: "E-even after death we'll always be brothers.", Brofisted back and smiled.

The boat went forward and straight into its fall. Apparently this was the end of our boys' journey...

> C: "AAAAAAHHHHHH!!"
> 
> N: "AAAAAAHHHHHH!!"

They fell for what seemed like an eternity, until...

* * *

> C: "AAAAAAHHH!!", Quickly jumped out of his bed and fell on the ground. "What...where am I?", Looked around. "It's...it's the hotel room!", Checked his watch: December 3rd, 2019...4:45 AM! "What in the world..."
> 
> N: "You okay, Chris?", Knocked on the door. "You sound like you had one hell of a nightmare!"
> 
> C: "Dude...do you remember anything strange in the last few hours? ANYTHING AT ALL!"
> 
> N: "Okay, I remember that we spoke about the fishing trip the day before. In the dream that I had...which scared the shit outta me...we went on this fishing trip and entered the Bermuda Triangle, afterwards everything went haywire, you freaked out, I freaked out and then some guy appeared...he had goldish blonde hair and light blue eyes. I-I think his name was Calix or something. What about you?"
> 
> C: "...I'm worried...seriously worried...because that's EXACTLY what I remember.", Began to bite his nails. "Fuck this, we're NOT doing that boat trip! I'd rather pay a hefty fine than risk my ass in that place again!"
> 
> N: "I agree, I think it's best you just call the boat owner and cancel.", Sighed. "And my gut's telling me that we should head back home a bit earlier too, what do you think?"
> 
> C: "I'll call him and tell we had an emergency. In the meantime, go packing your stuff already."
> 
> N: "Roger that...Let me know when you're ready so we can get outta here.", Headed back to his room and began packing.

Christian contacted the boat owner later, informing the trip was cancelled, then paid extra $2,000 for cancelling the contract, with a total of $4,000 spent for nothing; fortunately, he had a good financial situation that allowed such a punch on his wallet.  
They didn't even come back to the boat to get the provisions they bought for the trip, just went straight to the airport after booking out of the hotel. During the flight, none of them talked about what just happened the day before.

* * *

**Miami, FL - 03:00 PM**

The boys finally arrived at Miami. After nearly 12 hours silent, Christian decided to ask Nathan about the strange events back at Bermuda.

> C: "Okay, we haven't said a word ever since we got out of the hotel. I was trying to look for an excuse or I dunno what, but...the 'dream' you had...I also had. And it was too damn real to be just a 'dream'...what could possibly have happened back there, man?"
> 
> N: "I have no idea, Christian...my sister used to tell me about this thing called 'source energy' when I was younger. Maybe it was source warning us for all we know! The world...hell, the universe works in very mysterious ways."
> 
> C: "And that dude...Calix...he said he was the guardian of Atlantis, right? So I guess it's true...Atlantis, indeed, did exist in the past. Fuck, I thought this would be a nice trip to cool my head off my problems, but just turned into more problems! And I doubt anyone would believe us if we told them, so I guess it's best we don't tell a thing to anyone."
> 
> N: "What about your mom? Isn't she very spiritual? We gotta see the parents anyway so they're bound to ask us how the trip went."
> 
> C: "She is, but I really don't think she'll believe me. I guess...I guess this is too much of a mindfuck, even for her wisdom."
> 
> N: "Well, you don't know until you try. Look on the bright side, though: at least you'll get to see Cisco again and I'll get to see Lexxy."
> 
> C: "Yeah, regarding to that...despite what happened, I still haven't given up on the road trip, we gotta put them Charger's back on the streets! But since Christmas and New Year's Eve are close, how about we leave it for later? Since the Mopar meeting is on early May 2020 anyway, that gives us more time to work on whatever the cars need to be rock and rollin'."
> 
> N: "Works for me...hopefully the cars don't need much if our dads have been looking after them. Also any idea how we're getting home?"
> 
> C: "Uber?"
> 
> N: "That works...", Pulled out his iphone and opened the Uber app. "Looks like a driver just accepted our pickup request. And check it out, it's a female, her name's Rose! Now we wait...it's an Uber Black, so we’re getting some luxury which we deserve after all this!" Laughed.

It took about 5 minutes and then their ride arrived: a black Audi A6.

> Rose: "Are you Nathan?", The driver asked, a good-looking female in her 30's; funnily, she was wearing a big cap. "I'm Rose, nice to meet you. So, shall we?"
> 
> N: "Likewise, Rose! I'll take care of the bags, so there's no need to worry about them.", Smiled and picked up his bags to load them in the trunk, with Chris doing the same. "This is a nice Audi you have here, what year is it?"
> 
> R: "2015! Got myself a nice deal by the previous owner who had just traded it in a 2019 model for his wife. 43k miles but always well-maintained."
> 
> C: "Nice, first time I sit in one of these...pretty comfy!"
> 
> N: "You have great taste...and these are quite a bargain too on the used market!

After embarking, Rose drove away to their destination.

> N: "So, would you mind telling us a bit about yourself, Rose? We've got a good 40-minute ride ahead of us, even longer considering typical Miami traffic..."
> 
> R: "Well...I'm from Minnesota. My parents are farmers, still live there. After graduating high school, I decided to come to Florida to attend college. But because of economic struggles, I had to drop out before finishing it. But I intend to get back to it as soon as I can. In the meantime, driving for Uber is what's been paying my bills. Just a few more installments and I'll be able to pay off for the car!"
> 
> C: "That's great! What are the engine specs?"
> 
> R: "Supercharged 3-liter V6, 310 hp, 8-speed automatic, all-wheel drive."
> 
> C: "That's quite the hauler, eh!"
> 
> N: "Oh yeah, this car's got pick up...it's quiet too!", Sighed. "It's a shame that you had to drop out...me and my friend here were in the Air Force together...we were sent to Iran when the war broke out. Come to think of it, I think we were one of the first squadrons deployed...and, of course, I was discharged before him after it all ended. Now I wonder what to do with the rest of my life.", Laughed.
> 
> R: "You'll find your path, don't give up. I also felt lost when I had to drop out from college, but I saught solutions...this job is temporary, but it's a step closer to achieve my dreams."
> 
> C: "And pardon asking, but what college did you attend?"
> 
> R: "Medicine. I wanna be a doctor."
> 
> N: "That's a good profession...you can help a lot of people, especially overseas! It's also a bit surprising because given your height, my first guess was a more athletic field, either basketball or track, considering how tall you are."
> 
> R: "R-really? Heheheh...", Chuckled awkwardly.
> 
> C: "By the way, that's a nice cap."
> 
> R: "T-thanks..."

Suddenly she became somewhat uncomfortable. Christian got curious about it.

> C: "Are you alright? You're sweating a lot..."
> 
> N: "Yeah, you seem quite nervous. There's nothing to worry about, I just found your height quite surprising and if it's getting too hot for you, then crank up the AC and take that cap off....you don't want to dehydrate especially in this heat."
> 
> R: "I-I-I'm fine! Really, there's nothing wrong with me-KYAAAAH!"

Just as she was talking, an SUV cut right in front of her, causing her to step on the brake, hard...which made her hit the head at the steering wheel and drop the cap, revealing a pair of horns!

> C: "JESUS CHRIST!"
> 
> N: "WHAT THE HELL?!", Looked in shock. "W-what are you supposed to be? Are you into cosplay or something too?!"
> 
> R: "KYAAAA, DON'T LOOK!", Tried to cover her head, dropping the steering wheel, which almost caused her to lose control of the car!
> 
> C: "WATCH OUT!!"
> 
> N: "ROSE PUT YOUR HANDS BACK ON THE WHEEL!", Took a deep breath. "Now relax...there's no need to freak out, especially when driving on the highway at 70 MPH."
> 
> R: "You saw it...you just saw it!", Began to cry.
> 
> C: "If it's about the horns, I don't know what that means, but it's alright. Just keep driving and don't get ourselves killed."
> 
> N: "Hey Chris, do you think this is what Calix was talking about? He said we'd notice some strange things."
> 
> R: "W-What are you talking about?"
> 
> N: "Some guy me and Chris over here met. He said that we'd experience something strange...and I guess you're the first sign, since those horns of yours seem to be real, right? Now, we're all friends here, Rose...so you can tell us what you are."
> 
> C: "Yeah...I mean, it's not like we'll go on shouting for everyone that there's a horny _*ahem*_ HORNED girl around. Besides, I doubt anyone would believe us."
> 
> R: "Heh..good one.", Laughed nervously. "I-I'm what they call a demi-human, more specifically an Oni. The reason I was afraid was because if you guys reported me, I'd be taken away."
> 
> N: "Taken away? What do you mean?"
> 
> R: "It's not safe here, there are people out there who want to hurt people like me. Just please keep this between us, I beg of you!"
> 
> C: "I told you, don't worry, we won't tell anyone, you can trust us! But...who are these people you talk about?"
> 
> R: "They're called Gamehunters..."
> 
> N: "Gamehunters...you mean like people who go big game hunting in places like Africa?"
> 
> R: "Yes...they're basically like that. While sometimes they have killed demi-humans...they've mostly sold us into slavery as it's more profitable."
> 
> N: "Slavery?! Are you kidding me right now?"
> 
> R: "No...because I saw it happen.", Tried to fight back the tears. "But there's a place in California, not exactly sure what part though. Their job is to help demi-humans like me."
> 
> N: "What kind of place?"
> 
> R: "It's an agency of some sort...I've only heard about it from rumors. They provide assistance for Demi's to stay where it's possible, sometime even offering asylum in sanctuary nations."
> 
> C: "Sanctuary nations? What are these?"
> 
> R: "Countries that allow us to exist and live peacefully among humans, where we're not hated for being different..."

After a while, they finally reached their destination.

> R: "Anyway, this is your stop. It was nice driving you.", Put her cap back on and opened the door to let the boys out.
> 
> N: "Take this, Rose...you deserve it.", Handed her a $100 bill. "Let’s grab our bags, Chris..."
> 
> C: "Yeah...", Grabbed his. "Your secret is safe with us. Just...don't get caught."
> 
> R: "I won't. And...thanks."

* * *

**Homestead, FL - 05:00 PM**

After saying goodbye to Rose, they looked at each other, again thinking about all that had happened in the last 24 hours or so.

> C: "I'm starting to be certain that our talk with that Calix guy wasn't just a dream..."
> 
> N: "I honestly wouldn't be surprised, considering all of the shit we've just been through.", Sighed. "Gamehunters, sanctuary nations...looks like there's a lot more to be known than we thought, but...do you think we're still..."
> 
> C: "In our own dimension? Fingers crossed to learn that our existence here is the same as before, not like we'll open the door to see our mom, dad, brothers and sisters living as if we never existed in first place? Absolutely!"

The duo approached Nathan's front door and rang the bell. After a while, the door finally unlocked and the two were greeted by Nathan's parents.

> Selena: "NATHAN, MY SON!!!! I'm so happy to see you!", Hugged him so tight he could hear his bones crack, which made Chris chuckle.
> 
> Diego: "How are ya, son? I've been looking forward to your visit...", Looked over at Chris. "And I've been dying to see you too, Chris! Why don't you boys come on in and say hello to everyone?"
> 
> C: "Been a while, sir, ma'am! It feels good to be back home.", Smiled. "But I'll catch up with you guys later, I gotta check my parents. Nate, talk to you soon?"
> 
> N: "Yeah man, see you soon.", Gave Chris a brofist.
> 
> Selena: "Take care Chris! Do stop by again sometime!"
> 
> Diego: "Of course he will.", Laughed. "He lives right next door. ANYWAY, Nathan...how's about you go and see Lexxy? She's been missing you."
> 
> N: "Works for me!", Chuckled. "Was any work done on her while I was gone?"
> 
> Diego: "Just cleaned her carbs and took her for a short drive every now and then."

Nathan followed his father into the garage and turned on the light, revealing the 1968 Dodge Charger, black paint with black interior and white "Bumble Bee" stripes in the back. The car was a bit dusty, but it was still in excellent shape.

> N: "And you said you drove it! When, like five thousand years ago?", Laughed hard.
> 
> Diego: "Oh ha ha, smartass. The car was driven a couple of months ago...you do have a shopping list for her, though: she needs new tires and the air conditioning recharged."
> 
> N: "Doesn't seem too bad, I guess while I'm in there, I'll replace all the hoses too, as they look kinda old."
> 
> Diego: "Have at it. Perhaps you and Chris can work together to get Cisco and Lexxy here back to %100. Anyway, why don't you come on in and get some dinner? We have a lot of catching up to do, son."
> 
> N: "Right behind ya, pop.", Shut off the garage light and followed his dad back into the house.

* * *

Back at Chris' home...he rang the door bell.

> Lucy: "Yes? OH MY GOD, CHRIS!!", Hugged her brother just as tight as Nathan's mother did to himself. "Why didn't you call, jerk? Do you have any idea how much we missed you?!"
> 
> C: "Lucy, hold on, I can't breathe!"
> 
> L: "Oh! Sorry, hehehe!", Let go of him. Lucy has always been the big sis for Chris, almost like his second mother, despite being just four years older. "Come on in, mom and dad will be overjoyed to see you!"
> 
> C: "I know. I missed home so much..."

Chris headed to the kitchen, where his mother was making cookies.

> L: "Mom, look who's arrived."
> 
> C: "Hello, mom."
> 
> Patricia: "Chris!!", She rushed towards and gave him another big hug, already crying tears of joy. "My son, you're finally back! Thank you, Lord! Thank you!"
> 
> C: "I missed you all...a lot!", Couldn't hold the tears either. "So much has happened..."
> 
> P: "Do tell me, I want to know everything! Lucy, go call your father, that old grumpy never leaves the garage!"
> 
> L: "I'm on it!", Chuckled and headed out to bring dad.
> 
> P: "Now sit down here, Chris.", Gestured for him to seat at the kitchen's table, already bringing a glass of cashew juice to him. "Tell me...what happened? You've seen things, haven't you?"

Chris had wiped the tears away, but couldn't hold the laughter for his mother's sharp intuition.

> C: "It always amazes me how easily you can tell something's up, we don't even have to say a word...", Chuckles.
> 
> P: "That's the power of a mother's sixth sense!", Chuckled. "Now tell me...what's wrong?"
> 
> C: "Well...a few months ago I got...kicked out of the Air Force. I think it was a trap for me..."
> 
> P: "Oh my goodness..."
> 
> C: "I couldn't prove anything, though...", Shrugged.
> 
> P: "And what have you done about it?"
> 
> C: "Nothing, really. Part of me wants to find out the truth... I think it may have been a deed from my former wingman, Graham. We never got along well, not even Nate liked him. And to make things worse, a few months ago, during an exercise, he...he slept with my ex."
> 
> P: "Seraphine? That bitch! I'm very sorry, son, I know you loved her, but I never trusted her!"
> 
> C: "It doesn't matter anymore, we're no longer together. I hope she finds what she's looking for."
> 
> P: "Her karma will get back to her, mark my words."
> 
> C: "C'mon mom, you're talking like you want something bad to happen to her!"
> 
> P: "I'm not. But what goes around, comes around; sooner or later, the result of our actions return to us, the good and also the bad."
> 
> C: "Right...anyway, part of me wishes to seek out the truth, but the other part just want to let go, forget all that's happened...I wasn't...I wasn't happy with my position anyway. Specially after experiencing the horrors of war, first hand."
> 
> P: "Oh, my son...", Hugged him again, this time gently. "It's not good to hold on to what makes us sad."
> 
> C: "I know...that's why I want to move on. I'm planning a road trip with Nathan, I think it'll be fun."
> 
> P: "Geez, you just arrived and already wanna leave again?", Pouted.
> 
> C: "Of course not!", Chuckled. "It's been so long I drove Cisco, I want to remember the good times..."
> 
> P: "I'm just kidding, dear. If you think this trip will be good to you, then go for it!"
> 
> C: "But not right now, I wanna spend a little while at home, enjoying the family and the holidays."
> 
> P: "I'm glad."

Chris thought for a second, then decided not to talk to his mother about the Bermuda Triangle incident, thinking she wouldn't believe him.

> C: "And where the hell is dad? Lucy went to get him but haven't returned yet."
> 
> P: "Why don't you go check out at the garage? He's working on something there, and I think you'll like.", Smiled.
> 
> C: "Really? I wonder what it is..."

**TO BE CONTINUED.**


	4. Old Friends

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Previously on OWH, our boys went back home after their trip to the Caribbean was cut short, due to some strange events in the Bermuda Triangle. Now, they prepare for the road trip accross USA they've been talking about for so long, but the Chargers will need some work done first. But before they get to that, it would be a good time to meet some old friends and have some fun...

**December 4th, 2019**

**Homestead, FL - 05:30 PM**

Chris headed to the garage to find Cisco, but also his father and sister finishing work on a new car with the hood open...

> C: "'Sup, dad! Wait, whoa whoa whoa, what's this! New acquisition?!", Smiled as he stared at a beautiful 1958 Plymouth Fury in Buckskin Beige with gold trim.
> 
> William: "Got that right, son!", Stopped what he was doing and gave Chris a hug. "How ya doin'?"
> 
> C: "I'm fine, dad. Thanks. Now tell me more about this beauty!"
> 
> W: "Well, I got her about a year ago."
> 
> C: "Jesus, it makes me feel I was away from home for decades."
> 
> W: "Haha, yeah! I wanted to remember the good ol' days riding with Papa, as his Fury was exactly like this one and I couldn't find that exact car, guess it was lost through time.", Sighed. "Anyway, she came to us with no engine and tranny, but I already had something in mind before even getting the car...", Grinned as he gestured for Chris to come closer. "Check it out."

When Chris looked at the engine, he was shocked.

> C: "Holy shit, is that a 1st gen Hemi?!", Eyes wide open as he looked at a brand-new-looking Hemi V8 from the golden era.
> 
> M: "Affirmative! Chrysler FirePower, 354 cubic inches, built in the same year of the car, 1958. Little by little, I rebuilt it, with a lot of help from Lucy here!", Pat his daughter's shoulders.
> 
> C: "YOU?!", Pointed at his sister. "Who would've thought...", Laughed.
> 
> L: "Hey, don't mock me you jackass! I know damn well how to work on an engine!", Gave him a weak smack in the head.
> 
> C: "Right...and what's the setup?"
> 
> L: "We wanted reliability and simplicity, so we went with N/A...dad ported and polished the heads and worked on the intake and exhaust ducts, while I assembled the short block using Wiseco forged aluminum pistons with domes to raise compression to 11:1 and lighter, Pauter H-beam chrome-moly forged rods and crankshaft. For the fuel system we got a Holley Dominator EFI and 2x 4-bbl throttle bodies. We preferred to keep the displacement stock, so bore and stroke are the same from factory."
> 
> W: "Yep! And because we built it with some proper street manners in mind, we used a hydraulic roller cam. Comp Cams helped us with a unit built to our specs. Bigger valves and stronger pushrods also help the engine breathe better. She idles like a champ, but can rev like a banshee! For the ignition we went with the usual stuff, MSD 6AL box with MSD spark plug wires, 90A alternator..."
> 
> L: "We suspect it's putting out somewhere between 400 and 450 hp, as we're yet to take it to the dyno."
> 
> C: "Niiice!"
> 
> L: "Wanna hear it?"
> 
> C: "Do you really need to ask?!", Chuckled.

Lucy looked at her father, who nodded in agreement, so she sat on the driver's seat, turned on the key and started the car. The Hemi's roar is music to the ears. Christian noticed how similar the Fury sounded to his Charger.

> W: "Whattya think? Pretty nice, eh?"
> 
> C: "I love it! Sounds pretty healthy!"
> 
> W: "Wanna go for a ride?"
> 
> C: "I'd love to!"
> 
> W: "Excellent. Lucy, have you got the list of items your mom asked for dinner?"
> 
> L: "Sure, pops."
> 
> W: "Good, hand it over. Chris's gonna help me with the shopping."

Lucy handed him a piece of paper with everything written, then stepped out of the car.

> L: "I'll help mom with dinner. Bring a Sprite for me, will ya?"
> 
> W: "Got it. Get in, Chris!"
> 
> C: "Right on!"

Slowly, Will took the Fury out of the garage, then drove it down the road, heading to the market a few miles away.

> C: "Man, this feels smooth as fuck!"
> 
> W: "Yeah, the Torqueflite 727 tranny also helps with the impression.", Chuckled. "Lucy and I worked real hard on this car."
> 
> C: "I wish I could've helped..."
> 
> W: "It's alright...we still gotta work on Cisco, there are a few things he needs."
> 
> C: "Just let me know. And thanks for watching over him."
> 
> W: "No problem. So...how's everything, what about your deployment?"
> 
> C: "I got...kicked out of the Air Force."
> 
> W: "You what?! Why?!"
> 
> C: "It was an accident! Remember of an F-22 that crashed at Ar Raqqah base, a few months ago? That was...me.", Lowered his head.
> 
> W: "Goddamn it, son...", Shook his head. "You should've told us first hand! But...I'm glad you're alive.", Pat Chris' shoulder. "How did it happen?"
> 
> C: "I still don't know. Before the flight, a few technicians went to tweak the plane, said it was a 'software update'...", Sighed. "Then, not long after take off, I lost control out of the blue, as if someone had pulled the plug from the controls, you know? Suddenly I was out of rudder, yaw and ailerons, had to think fast before crashing. Managed to eject just in time to escape, as I was flying low."
> 
> W: "Didn't the Air Force say it was human error?"
> 
> C: "Of course they did, they wouldn't dare risk telling the truth! You know them better than me, dad. But there was a catch..."
> 
> W: "Yeah...", Sighed deeply.
> 
> C: "I think it may have been a trap from my former wingman, Graham..."
> 
> W: "Shit...I think I remember him, you mentioned to your mother soon after Nathan dropped out, right? He was in the same squadron but in a different position?"
> 
> C: "That's right. After Nathan dropped out, he took his spot as my #2."
> 
> W: "Do you have any proofs about his involvement?"
> 
> C: "No. That's why I didn't tell a thing. I couldn't figure out how he was involved, but my guts tell me he's got his fingers on this mess, for all I know even the technicians might've been involved. And I'd also bet he's got his ass covered thanks to his dad; he's a Senator representing the State of Montana."
> 
> W: "Be careful, son...these people can be pretty dangerous."
> 
> C: "Relax, I'm not gonna try anything. _At least...not yet..._ ", Thought to himself. "Right now I just wanna put Cisco back on his paces and enjoy a trip accross the country."
> 
> W: "That's pretty nice, son."
> 
> C: "Specially now I'm through with Seraphine."
> 
> W: "I'm sorry about that, Chris."
> 
> C: "Don't be. I'm actually glad we didn't get married as planned, the pain would've been worse. That bitch cheated on me with Graham himself."
> 
> W: "Now that you mention it...I remembered of a story from my old days."
> 
> C: "Go on."
> 
> W: "Right after Diego and I graduated from the Academy, there was this lady I was interested in. She knew of my feelings and apparently was also interested in me. We even went out on a date one night, shared some kisses...I was really falling in love with her, but one day, I saw her trying to get all lovey-dovey with Diego!"
> 
> C: "Fuck me!"
> 
> W: "I know, right? But he knew I was interested, so not only he turned her down but also told me about what happened. Obviously, I confronted her later on, and the relationship that was about to start just died. I felt like shit for quite a few days...", Chuckled.
> 
> C: "I'm sorry, dad."
> 
> W: "No need to, as I met your mother a while after and things turned out the way they are nowadays!", Chuckled. "But what I'm talking about is the camaraderie. Diego is still my friend to this day, the same way his son Nate is your friend. You gotta trust your friend, but you also gotta be worthy of the trust he has on you. True friends don't hide things from one another. What I mean is that if Graham was a comrade, a brother, he would've told you about Sera's advances, he wouldn't take advantage of the situation, you know?"
> 
> C: "To tell you the truth, dad...I guess any person with at least some common sense, being in Graham's position, wouldn't be an asshole."
> 
> W: "That's right. Some tend to think all is fair in love and war, but to me that's just complete bullshit."
> 
> C: "I agree!"

* * *

Back at the Martinez' house, Nathan was enjoying some well-deserved free time with his family. Even though he dropped out of the Air Force six months earlier than Chris, he hadn't had a chance to catch up with them.

> S: "So, how've things been since you left, son?"
> 
> N: "A bit different. I mean, I've been pondering what to do since the discharge and my trip to Iran, shortly after."
> 
> D: "You went back to Iran!?"
> 
> N: "Yeah. That place was left in a really poor state, but they were picking up the pieces...quite honestly, it kinda feels like we ruined lives rather than saved them."
> 
> D: "I can't blame ya for feeling that way, son."
> 
> S: "Not all of those people are bad, Nathan. I'm glad you realize that, unlike that horrible woman Marie."
> 
> N: "I know, mom...to be honest, a lot of the people I met were quite nice. Marie is just, well, an idiot...a bigoted idiot. But then again, what do you expect for someone who has no grasp of the world outside of her own little echo chamber?"
> 
> D: "Would you care to tell us about your deployment? Only if you're comfortable though, son."
> 
> N: "Yeah, dad...I've got a really special one."
> 
> S: "Don't pressure him, Diego..."
> 
> D: "Relax, Selena...if he wants to tell the story, then let him tell it."
> 
> N: "I'm fine, mama. One day me, Christian and this asshole Graham...", Rolled his eyes. "...were out on a sortie together. We were escorting a strike package consisting of some F-15E's. Their mission was to bomb a nuclear power plant...the mission was going smooth, until we started getting distress signals from the Strike Eagle drivers. Two of them were shot down and we ended up in a furball with some SU-35's.", Sighed. "Me and Christian managed to bag some of the Flankers from beyond visual range, while the others turned cold."
> 
> S: "Then what happened?"
> 
> N: "We started receiving a distress call from Graham himself...I tell you that kid was not good enough to fly the F-22; he was too arrogant, too incompetent...yet they never washed him out. If I had a say he'd be flying a cargo plane full of rubber dogshit outta Hong Kong! But the higher ups decided that he stay with us. Anyway, he was under attack by a single airplane, but it wasn't a Flanker or even a Fulcrum, oh no...it was the pride of the Iranian Air Force and an American icon: the F-14 Tomcat."
> 
> D: "I'm amazed they're still flying those things even after all these years!" Chuckled.
> 
> N: "The F-14A, with the god-awful TF-30 engines! Anyway, the pilot of that plane was keeping up with Graham with absolute ease...I mean, it was as if the pilot of that plane wasn't even human! Also, it probably helped that Graham couldn't fly for shit either. As you both know, the F-14 is one of my most favorite planes besides the F-22 and I used to read about them religiously when I was a kid. So I told Graham that the Tomcat driver wouldn't be able to get a lock on him with the radar, as the radar was so old, BUT...the heatseekers were still a threat. I told him to go vertical as he had more power, so he could gain distance from the F-14; if the Tomcat driver was to apply too much throttle too quickly at high angles of attack, then he'd stall the engines and the plane would be dead in the air until the pilot could restart them."
> 
> S: "What happened then, Nathan?", Held her son's hand.
> 
> N: "Graham was panicking, hyperventilating and just freaking out over the radio while me and Christian closed in for the kill. We both fired a Sidewinder at the F-14 at the same time, but we didn't care enough to see who really got the kill as we were a bit overwhelmed, so Chris was credited with it. I just hope the pilot got out in time...I know it's a weird thing for me to say because, well, that was an enemy trying to kill a fellow pilot."
> 
> D: "No, son. That's the right thing, those pilots are human just like you. Even I felt remorse during my piloting days...it's what makes us human."
> 
> N: "Thanks, dad...while my career was fun and while I'm incredibly grateful for such an achievement, I didn't really regret leaving when they gave me the choice to go. Now I look forward to preparing Lexxy for that road trip, so I can forget about all this."
> 
> S: "It'll be good for you, my son. Do you have any money left over, though?"
> 
> N: "But of course! When I sold Marie's Mercedes, as well as our house and furniture after the breakup, I made plenty of money to be able to afford this trip and then some!", Laughed.
> 
> D: "Well that's good. Anyway, how's about we all go and watch a movie?"
> 
> N: "I'm down for that! But please, not Fate Of The Furious. I saw that during our stopover at Dubai and yeah, the action scenes are cool, but how the hell did it go from street racing to stopping super villains and running from submarines?", Laughed.
> 
> D: "Oh please! I was thinking more in the lines of Bullitt!"
> 
> S: "I remember how much you loved that chase scene, Nate!"
> 
> N: "It never gets old!", Laughed. "Damn shame that Charger ends up getting blown up, though."
> 
> D: "Did you know that the Mustang was always having suspension issues but that they kept on using the same Charger over and over for the same jump scenes? Talk about quality!"
> 
> N: "After all this, do you want to get started on Lexxy?"
> 
> D: "Sure, son. She can use some much needed lovin' from her owner.", Chuckled.

* * *

**6:20 PM**

Chris and his father had already finished shopping and were heading back home, Chris having taken the wheel this time.

> C: "Dad...about Cisco, since he'll be out for long-distance driving, I was thinking of ways to make it more reliable. I mean, he's been pretty reliable for the last 50 years, all things considered, but I wanted to be sure I don't end up stranded at the middle of nowhere because of a faulty part or anything like that."
> 
> W: "Hmm...we can work on something. Got some ideas from an article I read a while ago, about a couple who travelled through Europe in a 1973 Roadrunner."
> 
> C: "I guess I remember that! Their car had a 318-c.i. small-block under the hood, right?"
> 
> W: "Exactly! And some interesting solutions for easy maintenance, such as backup systems for ignition, fuel, fans, redundant components and many other things to keep repair times to a minimum on the road..."
> 
> C: "I loved that project, but I wanna do this trip with the 426 Hemi, so no downgrades in there!", Chuckled.
> 
> W: "When do you plan to depart?"
> 
> C: "I was thinking April, since it's closer to Summer and there's this big Mopar meeting at Denver I intend to visit as well. It'll be on early May."
> 
> W: "I guess we'll have enough time. Cisco's got over 150,000 miles on it, plus a rebuild at 75k miles, so it would be good to rebuild the engine again just in case."
> 
> C: "Okay."

Chris was driving on the road, cruising at 40-45 mph, when he stopped at a red light. Then a pickup truck stopped next to him, an early 90's Ford F-250 with a big blower coming out from under the hood. He instantly recognized the car.

> C: "Wait, is that...Robert?!
> 
> W: "Who?"
> 
> C: "He studied with us in the Academy, a year after! Hey, Rob!"

Chris shouted and gestured for the driver, who was wearing a cowboy hat and opened the passenger window.

> Robert: "Chris? Hooooly smokes, Chris! Been forever, man! Wattya doin' here?!"
> 
> C: "Indeed, man! Got back from the war, now enjoying a bit of peace!", Chuckled. "What about you?"
> 
> R: "Well, after graduation I went to work fo' a while 'round here, but got out from the Force...bein' honest, that shit just wasn't fo' me. My life is the farm...and Fords. Mostly Fords, actually...farm comes a close 2nd.", Laughed. "And what's with that 1950's boat, what happened to the CiscoCharger?!"
> 
> C: "Oh, don't you start on the jokes!", Laughed. "The Charger is at home, waiting for some fixes! Hey wait, why don't we pull over to talk?"
> 
> R: "Only after the next 1/4 mile, pal! Next stop is exactly a 1/4 mile from here...on green, I'm goin'!"

Chris looked at his father, waiting for an answer.

> W: "...shit...just don't crash, and BE CAREFUL with the speed! Don't push it too hard, the engine is still in the break-in period."
> 
> C: "Roger, roger!"

Chris put the Fury in neutral and began to rev it. A bump to 4,000 rpm...another...and another...this time to 5,000 rpm! Then he put the gear lever at "Drive", revving the engine a bit to spool up the torque converter. When the light went green, Christian released the brake and the Fury jumped forward steadily, the Torqueflite shifting to 2nd gear at about 50 mph, then the 60-mph mark was broken in less than 7 seconds. Robert's F-250, being supercharged and putting out more power, was right next to it. All in all, both cars were somewhat balanced, as the truck's extra power was countered by its large tires that increased drag as well as slightly heavier weight.

> W: "Yeeeeeaaaah, man! This Fury is THE Fury!"
> 
> C: "HEMI POWAH!"
> 
> R: "Damn sumbitch, you won't beat mah Ford!"

The Fury was keeping the upper hand, by less than half length, but still ahead. They crossed the next stop at over 100 mph, the Fury coming out victorious, but the truck was still pretty close.

> W: "Okay you win, slow down, slow down!"
> 
> C: "A'ight, a'ight!"
> 
> R: _*shouting from his truck*_ "That still doesn't change the fact Ford rules!"

Chris and his dad got some good laughs with Robert. They stopped at a gas station, Chris told about his incoming trip with Nathan and everything. Robert was enthusiastic with the idea, he said he'd think about joining the duo if his schedule allowed. Not long after, they parted ways and Chris and his dad went back home.

* * *

**8:30 PM**

Chris and his dad finally arrived home.

> C: "Thanks, dad. It was a nice ride."
> 
> W: "Absolutely! And the Fury performed flawlessly...", tapped the dashboard.

They got the bags out of the trunk and headed straight to the kitchen, where Patricia and Lucy were making pizza!

> C: "That smell...pizza, awesome!"
> 
> L: "What took you so long?"
> 
> C: "Pardon, I've found an old friend from the Academy days on our way here, stopped for some chat...you know."
> 
> P: "It's fine, it's fine. I'm so glad the whole family is together again...", Smiled as she prepared the table. Chris and Lucy helped Patricia while Will took his seat after putting the items bought in the cabinets and freezer. Then everyone sat and began eating.

* * *

**9:15 PM**

After dinner, everyone went to watch a movie. Chris, however, wasn't paying much attention to it, sighing a lot and getting distracted. His sister interrogated him.

> L: "What's troubling you, Chris?"
> 
> C: "Nothing, really."
> 
> P: "Is it that problem about Sera?"
> 
> C: "I guess so..."
> 
> L: "Look, Chris...I know it's easier said than done, but you gotta let it go. You gotta put these feelings to rest, forget about what happened, think about what lies ahead of you, the future!"
> 
> C: "I know, but like you said, easier said than done! I loved that woman...", Headdesk.
> 
> W: "Son...you know what I think? I think you need some time alone with Cisco. Why don't you take him for a ride?"
> 
> C: "You're right, dad...every time I had a problem when I was younger, a couple hours driving Cisco would always put me back in the pace."
> 
> W: "I drove him last week, so the battery is good, as well as the tires. But I guess the fuel tank's only half full, so fill it up."
> 
> C: "Okay."

Chris got Cisco's keys and headed to the garage. Opening the trunk, he turned on the battery switch and got in the car. Ignition on, a few pumps in the gas...turn the key, starter motor spinning for a few seconds before the monstrous 426 Hemi finally fired up. After the 75k-mile rebuild, his dad had installed a Comp Cams "Mutha Thumpr" camshaft, so the idle was a little lopey...purest music to an enthusiast's ears! He kept it at some 1,500 rpm to warm up the engine fluids, making sure not to annoy the neighbors very much, as it was past 9 PM already.

> C: "Hey there, pal...", Gently patted the dashboard. "I missed you...ready to remember the good ol' days?", Smiled.

Chris turned on the radio, he still had a flashdrive plugged in, with all his favorite songs. The first one to play was exactly the reason he nicknamed his Charger 'Cisco': "The Cisco Kid", from War. He opened the glovebox and pulled out a walkie-talkie radio, turning it on to check if it was fine; and it was.  
After a few minutes, with the engine fluids warmer, Chris slowly drove the Charger out of the garage, closing the gate next. He headed towards Nathan's house, less than a block away, parked the car in front of it and went to call his friend.

> C: "I hope he's still awake... _*rings door bell*_
> 
> N: "One minute!", Walked down stairs and answered the door. "Hey Chris, what's up? I see you got the Cisco Kid running!", Laughed.
> 
> C: "Yeah, he needed pretty much nothing, thanks to my dad.", Chuckled. "Look, I'm going out for a spin. Wanna join? Lexxy needs to stretch her legs a bit as well, doesn't she?"
> 
> N: "Do you really have to ask?", Laughed. "Lemme grab the keys."

Nathan went back into the house to grab the keys to his '68 Charger. A couple of minutes later, the garage opened and the car roared to life.

> N: "She purrs like a kitten!", Chuckled. "Any idea where we're headed? The night is still young and Lexxy is ready for a night on the town."
> 
> C: "Not yet. Right now, I just wanna drive...we'll decide on the way. Still got the walkie-talkie working?", Showed him the radio.
> 
> N: "I think it works. Switch to channel 2 and let's try it out.", Entered his Charger and spoke into the Walkie-Talkie. "This is the ghost of Mopar's paaaaast, can you hear me? Whooooo!", Laughed.
> 
> C: "Hahah, good one! Yeah, I hear you loud and clear!"

Chris headed back into his car and waited for Nate to pull Lexxy out of the garage.

> C: "Moparbots, roll out!", Spoke through the radio in an Optimus Prime tone.
> 
> N: "Okay, nice and warm. Let us roll!", Rolled the car onto the street. "Man, is it good to be behind the wheel of my Charger! What about you, Chris?"
> 
> C: "Same! It's 2009 all over again...back when we were in the Academy, having fun and some lolz in our free time! By the way, I found Robert earlier today! My dad's got a '58 Fury and we went for a short ride, found the bastard on our way back, still with that F-250!"
> 
> N: "I think his family is going to have to bury him in that truck, because he loves it so much! Did you get a chance to speak to him? I hope he's doing better, even after his cousin disappeared in 2016."
> 
> C: "He wasn't happy, obviously...but 'it is what it is', in his own words. I told him about our trip and he seemed pretty excited; said he'd check his schedule to see if he could come along. I think it would be nice. He may be a prick sometimes, but he's a good guy.", Laughed. "You know...I was wondering about that demi-human issue Rose told us about...and Robert...how he'd react..."
> 
> N: "I don't know, man...Robert doesn't seem to befit the stereotype of a bigot from the deep south. But we are talking demi-humans, so who knows...and yeah, he does have his quirks. Remember when Graham wanted to beat him up because he thought Robert was insulting him? In reality Robert was just telling him to keep quiet during class."
> 
> C: "Even I thought he was offending Graham!", Laughed. "But then again, just shows how different cultures tend to have different values for different people...diversity at its best."

Chris and Nate were chatting for a little longer while enjoying the ride until they stopped at a red light.

> C: "Hey...", Looked at the stoplight, hinting the idea. "'Till the next one?"
> 
> N: "On green I'm goin' for it.", Replied in a deep voice before laughing.
> 
> C: "You're not the first to talk like that today!", Laughed along. "Robert did the very same thing, it was absolutely hilarious with that Alabamian accent!"
> 
> N: "Oh God...", Laughed. "For those ten seconds or less, I'm free!", Revved the engine and kept laughing.

It was all fun until a Honda Civic stopped right between them, fully 'riced out', including the 'fart-can' exhaust, and began to rev its engine, provoking them both.

> Civic driver: "Hey! These should be in a museum! I bet your 20-liter V8 makes like 100 hp!", Shouted at them both.

Chris looked at the driver, a kid who probably just maybe wasn't even 18 years old, then looked at Nathan, a serious stare. Then told him via walkie-talkie:

> C: "Shall we show this brat what American Muscle Mopar Style really means?"
> 
> N: "I think we should...", Revved the engine again, this time making the car shake.
> 
> Civic driver: "HAH! I bet that thing's still slower than my Grandpa's Buick!"

Nathan then nodded at Christian, indicating that he wanted to show the kid in the Honda what American Muscle Mopar Style was all about. Christian acknowledged by engaging first, then letting out the clutch and stepping on the gas while keeping the brake pedal engaged, just enough to make the rear tires spin and perform a glorious burnout, Nathan following with the same maneuver.

> N: "You sure you wanna do this, kid?"
> 
> Civic driver: "Pffft, whatever...can we get this over with now? I've got a date tonight and I don't have time to watch a couple of guys do burnouts in those old geezer mobiles!"
> 
> C: "You asked for it...and boy, we'll be proud to deliver!"

Sure enough, as soon as the light went green, Chris and Nathan launched in their cars, still burning a lot of rubber. The Civic lost time with some wheelspin as well, engine revving above 8k rpm. 1st gear, the Chargers began to gain distance...6000 rpm, 2nd gear, still some wheelspin after shifting and the Civic was already about 2 lengths behind! 6200 rpm, 3rd gear, still a tiny bit of wheelspin and the Civic was now 3 lengths and increasing! By the time the boys hit 4th gear @ 6,000 rpm again, the Civic was too far in the rear view mirror to be identified!

> N: "YEAAAAAAH BOOOOOYYYY!!!!", Laughed hysterically before slowing down as the light ahead turned yellow. "Man, it's been a long time since we've done something like this, eh Chris?"
> 
> C: "Aye! It's like feeling alive again!", Laughed like a madman. "I MISSED THIS!"

A few seconds later, the Civic stopped at the far left lane, driver now completely silent, as if nothing had happened!

> N: "Hey Chris, look to your left...looks like we just shattered someone's ego!", Chuckled. "Lexxy here may be old but she's still got it!"
> 
> C: "Hope you learned tonight's lesson, Junior: don't **ever** underestimate your opponent...you never know what lies under the hood!"
> 
> N: "Well that was all in good fun.", Chuckled. "I swear, though...some of these kids never learn...well, except for Luke with that old DSM he had."
> 
> C: "Luke was a case of its own, he may have made fun of our cars like the rest of our friends, but he respected it, he knew what a 426 Hemi's capable of."
> 
> N: "Yeah, Luke wasn't as ignorant as some of the others. I mean yeah, she turned like a bus back in the day, but the suspension mods I made tightened up the steering quite a bit. Of course, what matters most is the air conditioning kit that my dad added...especially when you consider these Florida summers."
> 
> C: "Amen to that!", Chuckled. "Makes me shocked to imagine how Mr. Hayward managed to daily drive this thing back in the 70's and 80's with no A/C!"
> 
> N: "Windows down was the best way to do things until it rained.", Laughed. "By the way, since we're out and just cruising along, wanna give Robert a call and see what he's up to?"
> 
> C: "Good idea. Let's setup a meeting in the gas station at Norwood Rd., wattya say? It'll be good to talk better about our trip in all its details."
> 
> N: "I say let's do it! Plus, this little drag race of ours kinda has me at less than a half tank already!"
> 
> C: "I'm around less than that, possibly a third or something, was half empty already when I left."

Chris called Robert and they headed to the gas station where the meeting was set.

**TO BE CONTINUED.**


End file.
